Artist Interview – Phibs

Firstly who are you and where & how did you grow up?

Im Tim “PHIBS”.

I was born in Sydney but grew up in a small south coast town called Narooma, till the age of 13. I moved to the lower north shore of Sydney where I was drawn to the graffiti subculture.

How do you think this affected you on your journey towards being an artist?

From a young age, I was always interested and practicing in artwork. The inner city had more culture than a small town.

When/How did you know you wanted to be a graffiti/mural artist?

Upon living in the inner city and commuting around the rail network, I knew I wanted to do it.

How did you learn to do what you do?

I initially started messing around with spray paint myself and would participate in bombing around my area, but while in highschool, I met Dmote and Prins, who took me under their wings and became my mentors.

Your favourite or most inspirational place/spot you have painted?

I don’t think I have a favourite place but it was inspirational to travel to New York and paint at the Mecca of where this subculture started, and met people who I looked up to. India was also a pretty interesting place to paint in.

What/Who are some of the inspirations for you and your art?

Through the years it’s been important for me, to develop my own unique style. Other people who think outside the box and don’t just paint generic work, are definitely people I admire. The list is too vast to name.

Did this help guide you to where you are today?

I moved to melb in 2000 and that catapulted my career. Melbourne has always been known as an artistic and cultural community.

What are your personal goals now and in the future as a professional artist?

As long as I am able to do what I love doing and make ends meet, I am content. Although, in recent years I’ve been wanting to move into different areas such as 3D or sculptural works.

Tell us a little about how you like to work. (Alone, with others, in phases, details, etc…)

When painting outdoors I enjoy collaborating and working together with others as it’s a social activity to me. But when creating studio works, I tend to work alone.

What direction do you feel your art is going?

My art career is a journey and I’m not completely sure what direction it’s going. But as long as you’re challenging yourself and trying new things out and constantly moving , new directions are inevitable.

If you could share a message with the next generation of artists, what would it be?

Coming from Sydney, focus on the positive aspects of this subculture, as there are a lot of negativity wrapped up in the graffiti world. Unfortunately, people participating do it more for the reputation than the art.

There any up and coming artists that we should keep an eye out for?

There are a lot of new generation artist creating amazing work. Once again too many to name.

Any shouts out you you would like to give?

This shout out is to the people keeping this movement alive in a positive direction. There is too much hate and politics in the world around us. We don’t need any more of that in our scene. Each one, teach one.